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　　U.S. President Barack Obama has launched an effort to overhaul¹ the health care system in the United States. Mr. Obama says the high cost of health care is straining the national economy.
奥巴马总统在美国发起一场改造医疗体系的努力。高昂的医疗保健成本正在损耗美国经济。
The president says health care reform is no longer just a moral imperative³, it is an economic imperative.
奥巴马总统说，医疗体系的改革已经不仅仅是一个道义上必须要做的事情了，从经济角度来说，这也是必须要做的事情。
"If we want to create jobs and rebuild our economy and get our federal budget under control, then we have to address the crushing cost of health care this year, in this administration," said President Obama.
他说，“如果我们要创造就业，重建经济，控制联邦预算，本届政府就必须在今年处理高昂的医疗保健成本。”
He says the goal must be to bring down medical expenses, while improving the quality of care for everyone.
奥巴马说，政府的目标必须是为公众降低医疗开支，同时改善保健质量。
The changes he is seeking are massive and will involve a huge infusion⁴ of government funds. But Mr. Obama says they are a needed investment in the nation's future.
奥巴马谋求的变革是巨大的，其措施包括政府投入巨额资金。但是他表示，这些投资是国家的未来所需要的。
"Making investments in reform now, investments that will dramatically lower costs, won't add to our budget deficits⁵ in the long-term," said Mr. Obama. "Rather, it is one of the best ways, in fact maybe the only way, to reduce those long term costs."
他说，“现在为改革进行投资，这些投资将大幅度地降低成本，但是从长期来看，它不会增加我们的预算赤字。相反，这些投资是减少长期成本的一种最佳途径，实际上，这也许是唯一的途径。”
Mr. Obama is not the first U.S. president to try to tackle the health care crisis, which involves issues of both affordability⁶ and availability.
奥巴马不是试图解决医疗保健危机的第一位总统。这场危机涉及医疗成本负担和能否获得医疗保健的问题。
In recent decades, most Americans have relied on health care insurance from their employers to meet their rising medical bills. But businesses are cutting back on coverage⁷ and the ranks of the uninsured are growing. At the same time, government outlays⁸ for programs that provide subsidized care for the elderly and the poor are skyrocketing.
最近几十年，多数美国人依赖自己的雇主提供健康保险，支付不断上涨的医疗费用。但是商家企业在削减医疗方面的开销，没有医疗保险的人数越来越多。同时，政府在为老年人和穷人提供的医疗补助的项目方面的开支也急剧增长。
Past efforts to reach a meeting of the minds on health care reform have ended in stalemate. But the president says this time is different.
过去，有关方面也曾努力就改革医疗体系达成一致，结果都陷入僵局。但是奥巴马说，这一次情况不同。
"This time, there is no debate about whether all Americans should have quality, affordable⁹ health care," said Barack Obama. "The only question is, 'How?'"
他说，“这一次，没有人辩论是否所有美国人都应该享受平等的、负担得起的医疗保险。我们要解决的只有一个问题，那就是，怎样让大家获得平等的、负担得起的医疗保险。”
To that end, the president convened¹⁰ a White House meeting of groups with a big interest in health care and asked them to search for solutions.
为了解决这个问题，奥巴马在白宫召集了一次会议，请那些在医疗保健方面有重大利益的群体寻找答案。
They included doctors, consumers, unions, businesses, insurers and members of the U.S. Congress.
这些群体包括医生、消费者、工会、商家企业、保险公司和国会议员。
Senator Ted² Kennedy, who is undergoing treatment for cancer, returned to Washington for the session. The Massachusetts Democrat¹¹ has been working the health care reform issue for years. He said he has never seen so many diverse views gathered together to tackle the problem.
肯尼迪参议员正在接受癌症治疗。他也返回华盛顿出席了会议。这位麻萨诸塞州的民主党议员多年来一直在为改革医疗体系而努力。他说，他从没有见过这么多不同的观点聚集到一起来解决问题。
"What it does is basically challenges all of us to really do the best we can," said senator Kennedy.
他说，“基本上讲，这实在是对所有的人的挑战，我们要尽力而为。”
White House officials say Thursday's session was just the beginning of the reform process. More high level meetings are planned in the coming days, with Congressional hearings expected soon.
白宫官员说，星期四的会议不过是改革过程的开始。今后计划举行更多更高层次的会议，而且预计国会不久也会举行听证。